When business success depends on your ability to make customers’ cars look their very best, a smart and stylish van fleet is always going to help you shine.
Car valeter MAX WAX is now running five eye-catching Mercedes-Benz Citans, all Long-bodied 109 CDI models with fuel-saving BlueEFFICIENCY packages.
Fast-growing MAX WAX, which moved recently to new headquarters at Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, relies on its highly-trained and experienced technicians to provide a complete mobile valeting service to customers throughout the South-East.
As well as everyday and prestige marque cars – it recently valeted 90 vehicles worth a total of £36 million at one high-end manufacturer’s shipping centre – the company is entrusted by customers to prepare their classic cars and rare collectibles, and even boats and helicopters!
MAX WAX was founded 12 years ago by Managing Director Tristan Green, himself a former valeter, who took advantage of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services funding to purchase the new Citans. They were supplied by Rossetts Commercials and will be maintained under Mercedes-Benz Service Care contracts at the Dealer’s 24-hour workshop in Worthing.
Replacements for small vans by two French manufacturers, the Citans have been an instant success. “They look great, while that three-pointed star on the front can only help to reinforce our own image of quality and professionalism,” enthused Mr Green. “The feedback from our operatives has been entirely positive too; they really appreciate the Citan’s comfort and its clean, fresh cab.
“These new Mercedes-Benz vans also represent a big improvement in terms of handling,” he said. “We run a ruthlessly efficient operation – if we don’t need it, we don’t carry it. Nevertheless, with an inventory that includes 200 litres of water, getting on for 80kg of generator and a retractable hose reel that can weigh around 40kg, we’re only just under the maximum payload allowance. Yet you hardly notice the weight when cornering or negotiating roundabouts – that’s certainly not something that could be said about our previous vans.”
The inherent economy of the Citan 109 CDI model’s 90 hp diesel is enhanced by a series of BlueEFFICIENCY measures including the ECO start/stop function – which turns off the engine whenever the vehicle is stopped in traffic, then restarts it as soon as the driver depresses the clutch – low rolling resistance tyres and optimised alternator and battery management systems. The result is an economy figure of up to 65.7 mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 112 g/km.
Mr Green continued: “Mercedes-Benz is a premium brand with an excellent reputation, so I’ve every confidence that as well as being highly economical to run, our new vans will also provide the reliability and durability we need.
“Given the quality of the vehicles, the deal put together by Rossetts Commercials was surprisingly competitive. Its van sales executive Martin Gearing provided an excellent service – he was never pushy but always honest and responsive, so if I asked a question he would invariably get straight back to me, even if it was outside normal working hours. That level of customer care counts for a lot.”
The cost-effective Mercedes-Benz Service Care plans, meanwhile, give Mr Green the reassurance of knowing that all labour and materials costs required for the three routine ‘pit stops’ that each vehicle will make over the next six years or 75,000 miles, whichever arrives first, are already covered. “Vehicle ‘uptime’ is crucial to our operation so we’ll certainly be taking advantage of Rossetts’ overnight maintenance capability,” he added.